After bombing Aalborg West Pilot Sgt Oates managed to escape from the fighters
and headed west over the North sea. After a while he realised that he would not
be able to fly all the way to England due to low fuel level. Not wanting to
ditch the Blenheim it was decided to turn back to Denmark. When they reached the
coast the fighters showed up again and attacked the Blenheim.
Oates crash landed
under fire on a meadow near Vust. It was a rough landing and Oates was knocked
out. During the landing the Blenheim broke its back and Air gunner Sgt. T Graham
was thrown clear of the aircraft, while Navigator P/O R.M. Biden and Oates were
trapped inside the fuselage.
Two local people named Laurits Sørensen and Ditlev
Brix saw the landing and ran over to the aircraft, where Brix actually lifted
the wreck to allow Sørensen to pull Oates free and place him in front of the
wreckage. Next Biden, who suffered from
wounds in a leg was helped out of the wreck.

(Ole Rønnest)

Air gunner Sgt. T Graham

(Ole Rønnest)

Pilot Sgt Oates

(Ole Rønnest)

Navigator P/O R.M. Biden

Graham was nearly unhurt and looked around for a place to hide. After a short
while he returned and set alight some papers from the aircraft. A German truck
with soldiers arrived and took control. A little later Oates and Biden were
taken by ambulance to Fjerritslev hospital where Doctor Pedersen and his staff
took well care of them.
In September Biden was moved to a German field lazaretto
and after a short while he was moved to Dulag Luft in Oberursel. After
interrogation he was moved to Offlag IX A/H Schloss Spangenberg. Later he was
moved to Stalag Luft I Barth and on to Stalag Luft III Sagan.

Oates stayed in Fjerritslev hospital until late October when he was moved to
a field Lazarett in Schleswig-Holstein where he met with Bill Magrath of R2772.
Oates was later moved to Stalag IXC Mühlhausen from where he was repatriated in
October 1943.

Graham was taken to Aalborg West airfield and the next day he and four fellow
flyers were flown to an airfield near Hamburg by a Ju 52. Here they were loaded
onto a truck and taken to Dulag Luft in Oberursel for interrogation. Graham was
then sent to Stalag Luft I Barth and later to Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug to end up
in Stalag 357 Fallingbostel.